I don’t know how many here are into MMA, but Pride Shockwave should be fantastic. This is Pride’s annual New Years Eve show and it will be aired on PPV in the US January 2nd. Traditionally, New Years Eve is a huge night in Japan for MMA and pro wrestling, with annual shows from Pride, K-1, New Japan and many other companies. The Pride show will be held at Saitama Super Arena with at least 50,000 in attendance. Pride’s production values are eye-popping and are simply light years ahead of the stale WWE.

With the WWE being less interesting over the last few years, I’ve turned my attentions more toward Japan (NOAH), Mexico (CMLL) and MMA (Pride and UFC). Instead of shelling out for every WWE snooze-fest, I’ve been ordering NOAH and New Japan tapes. I’ve also started ordering Pride and UFC PPV’s instead of WWE and I couldn’t be more pleased. I still follow the WWE, but I won’t get a PPV except the Rumble and Mania.

If you haven’t checked Pride out, this card is phenomenal and should be filled with great fights.

Any other MMA fans here at the-W? What do you think about these top matches?

The card features some incredible matches including:

Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil)This a double title match, for both the PRIDE FIGHTING heavyweight championship as well for the title of 2004 Grand Prix heavyweight champion. 2004 featured a sixteen-man heavyweight tournament that came down to these two fighters on the 8/15 show. An accidental clash of heads caused a massive cut on Fedor’s head early in the match and it was ruled a no-contest.

Fedor’s unique combination of brutal striking power with a complex understanding of submissions is why he’s the Pride Heavyweight Champion, and quite possibly the most dangerous fighter on the planet. In the semi-final round, former two-time NCAA Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman locked a German suplex on Fedor and threw him right on his head. It looked like his neck was broken with the impact, but Fedor immediately spun and slapped a kimura armbar on Randleman for the finish. This was possibly the most stunning sight of the tournament.

Nogueira represents classic Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a member of Brazilian Top Team. Nogueira is the finest submissions artist in MMA today. His encyclopedic knowledge of jiu-jitsu allows him to use a variety of arm bars, leg bars and triangle chokes to destroy his opponents. This match should prove to be the match of the year.

Prediction: Fedor

Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)Silva is arguably the greatest middleweight in the world (Randy Couture is the other). Silva’s non-stop assault of vicious punches and soccer kicks to the head lead to stunning knock outs. Sakuraba is the “Gracie Hunter”. He is the biggest star in Japan and was responsible for the explosion of popularity of MMA in the Japanese mainstream. His four victories over the Gracies include: a TKO over Royler Gracie with a Kimura armbar (the submission hold that Puder used on Angle), a TKO over Renzo Gracie with a Kimura armbar, a decision over Ryan Gracie and a TKO over the legendary Royce Gracie in a six-round 90 minute match when Royce failed to answer the bell for the seventh round. Sakuraba utilizes an amazing variety of submission moves and combines them with the flair of pro wrestling (Mongolian chops and flying stomps).

Prediction: Sakuraba

Rulon Gardner (United States) vs Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)This is an incredibly interesting match up that features the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Roman Greco Wrestling (Gardner) vs the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo (Yoshida) under Pride rules (which means striking). Gardner has been training with Team Quest in Oregon, which is the home of UFC Middleweight Champion (and former Heavyweight Champion) Randy Couture. The clash of styles should make for a great match, which will surely feature a ton of suplexes and throws.

Prediction: Gardner

Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic (Croatia) vs Kevin Randleman (United States)This is a re-match from Pride Total Elimination (the beginning of the Heavyweight tournament on 4/25) when Randleman KO’d Cro Cop with wild roundhouse in a big upset. Cro Cop was favored to go to the finals. Cro Cop is the world’s finest kick boxer, whose striking (whether hand or foot) is lightning fast and devastating. He’s left a trail of KO victims throughout his career and his only losses were to Randleman and an armbar submission loss to Nogueira. Randleman is a two time NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion from Ohio State. He combines incredible wrestling skill with excellent striking and submissions. This could be explosive.

(edited by NickBockwinkelFan on 20.12.04 0403)"Well, you can't involve friendship with business. It has to be one or the other. It's either business or friendship, or hit the bricks!"--Life Lessons from "The Tao of Bobby the Brain Heenan" Uncensored 2000 preview

EDIT: You know what, I'm moving this to the Sports that aren't Baseball, Football, Basketball, or Hockey folder, because MMA is not pro wrestling and I think it's only right.

Yeah, it's looking to be a nice show. I was really, really, really hoping for Silva/Henderson and not Silva/Saku IV, but what can you do. It's Sakuraba's last stand (maybe).

Fedor v. MinotauroNogueira is arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in the history of the sport. The only valid argument I find is, in fact, Fedor. So at this point, you're seeing probably the two best of all-time go 1-on-1, and they're both still good. MMA is at a neat juncture for things like that. I love Minotauro to death, he is one of my very favorite fighters, but I think Fedor is too sharp for him right now. Nogueira sits back and waits for someone to make a mistake, and they always do, but Fedor doesn't. Their '03 fight was without question the best heavyweight fight I've ever seen, just a tremendous war of attrition. I hope this one lives up to that standard.

Prediction: Fedor, but here's hoping for Nogueira

Silva v. SakurabaWhat you're failing to point out, IMO, is that Sakuraba is not a good fighter anymore, and is not even near Silva's level. Silva may be the best ever. He is a furious, raging bull of a fighter, and there is no one in the sport that enjoys beating his opponent more than Silva does. He takes great joy in his job, and I really think that might be why he's just so much better than everyone. As for Couture/Silva, if you put them in a UFC cage, that's the only way Couture would even have a shot. Silva is just too frantic and skilled for Couture's game unless Randy had the cage to help him out. In a Pride ring, Silva puts Couture out of commission early, I think.

Anyway, there's no reason to think Sakuraba will win this fight, as Silva has gone from beating him to injuring him to just obliterating him in their previous encounters. Silva's way too good for Saku. Way, way, way too good. Sakuraba winning would be a miracle. Silva hasn't lost a fight since April 14, 2000.

Prediction: Silva

Gardner v. Yoshida

Yoshida is a shit MMA fighter and a judo legend, Gardner is a wrestler with I would assume no striking ability whatsoever. This is interesting only in a spectacle way to me. One-dimensional fighters just do not appeal to me, and these two are both very one-dimensional, as long as Gardner doesn't come out throwing bombs, which I'd say it's a safe bet he won't. Gardner training with Team Quest (my absolute favorite fight team, while I'm on the subject of establishing my opinions and whatnot) is nice, but it doesn't mean he's going to come out as a heavyweight version of Matt Lindland either.

Prediction: Yoshida

Filipovic v. Randleman

Two of my least-favorite fighters. Filipovic is the most dangerous striker to ever step foot in an MMA bout, but he's one-dimensional until he proves otherwise. Randleman has had all the natural skill in the world for his entire career and has largely underachieved.

Prediction: Filipovic

Dan Henderson v. Yuki Kondo

Hollywood Dan is my favorite fighter, period, and he's just about the only guy since Silva's reign of terror/excellence began to give Silva anything resembling a competitive fight. Kondo's from Pancrase and Silva destroyed him earlier this year. Pancrase is where Ken Shamrock was any good. Go figure.

Prediction: Henderson

Takanori Gomi v. Jens Pulver

Two extremely exciting fighters at 155, Gomi is probably the better of the two now since Pulver's schedule has been so erratic and he's done a bit of boxing on the side. I expect Gomi will probably end this one earlier than a fight between these two would have ended when Pulver was among the best in the world.

Pride PPVs are the only one's I've looked forward to all year and I can't wait for this show.

I fall into the same camp as Scott in I really like Nogueira (and that upside-down side choke he used the past few times is an anwesome move) but Fedor's just incredible. I'm not sure who'll win, it's such a close match up.

I have mixed feelings on Saku. I always love to watch him fight because he's so skilled and knows how to entertain at the same time. On the other hand, I can do without seeing him get his face crushed or shoulder cracked another time by Silva. I really don't know what there is to gain overall in this match for Saku. If he beats him, he can say he beat one of the best and snapped a four year win streak, but he'd still be down 3-1 in the overall series. It could be a nice capstone to a career if he retired aftewards, but there's a whole lot more downside. Saku's got fighting spirit like no one's business, but why let it keep leading you back to slaughter against a guy who is appropriately nicknamed "The Axe Murderer."

Gardner vs. Yoshida is interesting, but I'm just not sure how Gardner survives against in a fight allowing both strikes and submissions when he's had so little training time in either of those. He can roll with anyone on the ground, but can he combat Yoshida using the gi to his advantage? Can he defend an armbar or a choke well enough? How does he react if Yoshida punches him square in the nose? There are just too many variables to pick Gardner over Yoshida for me. He may hang in on the ground to get it to the time limit, but I don't see any way he finishes Yoshida.

Mirko vs. Randleman....I don't think Mirko makes the same mistake twice. Nobody's safe from the left high kick.

"I don't know why we bother, we should let you all burn."- Basil Fawlty on the importance of fire drills.

I know this thread is dead as a doornail (due to being banished to this folder), so here's an interesting tidbit for the 2 guys who might accidentally come into this folder looking for posts on darts or rugby and may have a passing interest in MMA.

From Meltzer's Observer 12/26:

It is official that the Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva match is off. Pride held a press conference a few hours ago announcing Sakuraba can't go due to both his lower back sprain as well as broken ribs suffered on 12/17 that had been covered up publicly until earlier today. Nobuyuki Sakakibara said they are considering two of three different opponents, both Japanese and foreigners, to face Silva on just a few days notice for the New Year's Eve show. Silva, who does have a hand injury, but claims he's 100% now, will be arriving at Narita Airport later today.

From Meltzer's Observer 12/27:

The two names legitimately in the running for Wanderlei Silva's opponent for New Year's Eve are Sanae Kikuta and Mark Hunt. The problem is, Kikuta had trimmed down to 189 pounds because K-1 was talking with him about a match with B.J. Penn, so he's too small for Silva. Hunt, who Pride was trying to get to fight Kiyoshi Tamura, believe it or not, is far too big for Silva, as he's around 280 pounds right now, and it would take a submission to beat him.

(edited by NickBockwinkelFan on 27.12.04 1940)"Well, you can't involve friendship with business. It has to be one or the other. It's either business or friendship, or hit the bricks!"--Life Lessons from "The Tao of Bobby the Brain Heenan" Uncensored 2000 preview

Silva vs. Hunt would be interesting, because from all I've ever read/heard/seen Hunt has a skull that Kaz Fujita would be jealous of. It could be dangerous for Silva if it stayed standing because Hunt hits as hard as anyone. Hunt would be likely gas out though, especially where the first round goes 10 minutes. I don't know who'd be crazy enough to fight Silva on such short notice but I'm sure Pride is ready to put up some serious money to get a match.

"I don't know why we bother, we should let you all burn."- Basil Fawlty on the importance of fire drills.